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Excerpt: "There was an upside to Kenny Phillips’ knee injury this week.

Seriously.

The Giants’ safety underwent an MRI to
gauge the severity of a sprained medial collateral ligament suffered on Sunday
against the Green Bay Packers and determine whether he had a shot to play this
coming weekend against the Dallas Cowboys.

While looking at the MCL – and the anterior cruciate ligament, which remained
intact – Phillips saw the cartilage inside his kneecap, which had been repaired
during microfracture
surgery in 2009.

And he liked what he saw.

“It was a great look,” Phillips said with a grin. “I got a sneak peek at it
and it looked real good. It improved even more. So that was a real good thing to
see.”

But back to the issue at hand. Phillips did some jogging and backpedaling
outside today while his teammates practiced inside. He thinks he’ll do some more
work on Friday but it doesn’t sound like he’ll practice.

Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said the team hasn’t ruled out Phillips,
so the Giants are holding out hope he’ll be ready to go.

“Checking out the MRI and talking to the trainers they definitely said it’s a
thing that could take 2-3 weeks but it depends on how you feel,” Phillips said.
“I don’t feel any pain right now so I’m optimistic.” Read more...GIANTS' BRANDON JACOBS SAYS COWBOYS ARE AFRAID OF HIM

"The chatter between the Giants and
Dallas Cowboys leading up to their crucial meeting Sunday night continued
Thursday, with some strikes from the Giants' end.

In response to Tuck calling Cowboys Stadium “a dump,” Ware said Tuck simply
wishes he was a Cowboy like everyone else.

Tuck doesn’t see himself in a Cowboy uniform – football or not.

“Me wanting to be a Cowboy?” he asked himself. “Hmm, well I don’t wear
Wranglers, I don’t wear cowboy hats or boots or those belts that – what do you
call those? – yeah, the buckle belts. I don’t wear none of that. And I don’t
need a star on my helmet to tell me I’m pretty good at what I do…I plan on
retiring as a Giant.”

Tuck said he doesn’t even recall calling the new Cowboys Stadium “a dump,”
but he may have.

“I’ll tell you what, if y’all find it, I’ll live up to it,” he said. “But I
don’t remember it. Although if you want me to say it, I can say the stadium
before this stadium they built was pretty…”

He didn’t come up with an adjective, but you get the picture.
On the other side of the locker room, Jacobs faced questions about Jenkins
calling him a bully. Jacobs wasn’t phased – if anything, it was a compliment for
the 6-foot-4, 260-pound bruiser.

“I am a bully,” asserted, Jacobs, who for his part called Cowboys Stadium a
beautiful palace. “They can call me what they want. I think people who call out
bullies are afraid of bullies.”

Does that mean he thinks the Cowboys are afraid of him?

“If you call me a bully, that’s how I see it,” Jacobs said. “They’re just
sitting back, waiting for us to come there and I think we’re going in there
ready to play football.

“If you go in there and bring it to them and keep bringing it to them all
game long, somebody’s going to break, somebody’s going to break. Either the
person who’s bringing it is going to be tired of bringing it or they’re going to
get tired of trying to stop the person bringing it and they’re going to stop.
Whoever wants it bad enough.”
**

"Tom Coughlin said when Ahmad Bradshaw returned to playing he probably
wouldn't practice much, and that's been precisely the case this week.

Bradshaw is not practicing for a second straight day after playing on Sunday
against the Packers. It's his best shot at keeping his fractured foot healthy
between games. Last week, he practiced on Friday, so we'll see if that's the
case this week.

Also out is Bradshaw's backfield mate in Brandon Jacobs, who is dealing with
a hamstring injury. Indications are Jacobs, who will address reporters today,
should be on the field on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.

Safety Kenny Phillips remains sidelined with a sprained knee. He did only
light jogging on the field outside while the team practiced indoors.

Meanwhile, down in Texas, Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware (burner) has
returned to practice.

Elsewhere on the injury reporr:

--Center David Baas (neck/head) is still out. We'll see if we can get some
further clarification on what's ailing him. He seems very unlikely to play this
weekend.

--Defensive end Dave Tollefson (knee) returned after sitting out on
Wednesday. As expected, fellow D-end Osi Umenyiora (ankle/knee) remains out and
won't play Sunday.

--Linebacker Michael Boley (hamstring) is still sidelined, as are a pair of
rookie linebackers: Spencer Paysinger (hamstring) and Mark Herzlich (ankle).

Excerpt: "Much as David Diehl said he could step right back in at left tackle as if
he’d never left, the truth is there was an adjustment period.

It lasted about two quarters in New Orleans.

“I talk to those guys when they come off, so in the second half, after the
offense went right down and scored, he was like, ‘I’m comfortable now,’?” backup
lineman and “jumbo” tight end Jim Cordle recalled Wednesday. “That’s pretty
incredible against some very good players. He’s a great player. Tackle suits him
well.”

In those games, the Giants have
scored 59 total points, have allowed only two sacks after giving up an average
of two per game the first 11 weeks and have run for 4.1 yards per carry,
including an 11-yard gain behind Diehl and Jake Ballard against the Green Bay
Packers.

As always with the offensive line, it’s about more than Diehl. But having him
at a key position has helped a battered unit, and this weekend, he’ll be facing
the league’s leading sacker and an old nemesis in DeMarcus Ware.

Good thing for him he took the time to get comfortable.

“You’re doing stuff practicing, but there’s nothing like that game speed,
playing in that atmosphere,” Diehl said. “That second half, it was just getting
back to being comfortable, getting back to taking your sets.

“And when you do it on the road, it ain’t the easiest thing, especially
playing in the Superdome. It’s loud and crazy and it’s a silent count half the
time in your first game.”

It was a little easier this past Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Diehl gave up
zero sacks and, by an unofficial count, only two pressures on 41 pass plays.
Meanwhile, he made life easier for left guard Mitch Petrus in his first NFL
start and also helped Cordle along when he served as a tight end.
“You can’t screw up if you listen to David Diehl,” Petrus said. “He’s going
to make the right call.”

Cordle, dubbed “The Jim of All Trades” at Ohio State, played four positions
for the Buckeyes and three more in the NFL, so he appreciates Diehl’s
versatility. In nine seasons with the Giants, Diehl has played four spots on the
line.

“And he could probably play center, too,” Cordle said.

Jason Garrett isn’t surprised the fifth-round pick from Illinois has been so
versatile over his successful career.

“Right from the first day he showed up, you knew there was something about
him,” said Garrett, a backup quarterback for the Giants from 2000-03 and now the
head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. “Football was really important for him; it
never seemed too big for him; he jumped in and battled right from the start
against some really good players and really earned a spot on that team.

Excerpt: "The Giants' Justin Tuck has not been
shy to let his thoughts on the Dallas Cowboys be known. To say there's no love
lost would be an understatement. And three seasons ago, after the two teams'
first meeting at the new Cowboys Stadium, Tuck called the then-brand new $1.3
billion stadium "a dump."

Tuck reiterated his thoughts this week and DeMarcus Ware had a response.

"He says that because maybe he wants to play here," Ware said of Tuck.
"Everybody wants to play for the Cowboys. If I wasn't playing for Cowboys I
would call it that too because I want to play for them."

Excerpt: "Giants safety Kenny Phillips was
relieved when he found out his knee injury wasn’t a tear. Instead, his left knee
has a sprained MCL, a different injury than what forced him to undergo
microfracture surgery on the same knee in 2008.

“When it first happens, you always think the worst,” Phillips said. “ I’m
good. I feel much better.”

Phillips, who missed today’s practice, said he’s day-to-day and his knee
isn’t sore or stiff.

“I expect to play,” Phillips said of suiting up on Sunday. “I haven’t been
told otherwise.”

CB Prince Amukamara said his back injury is one that dates
to last season, his senior year at Nebraska, and has never forced him to miss a
game.

“I just know it comes and goes sometimes,” said Amukamara, who was limited
today during practice. “Something probably just woke it up.”

Excerpt: "Last year, Tony Ugoh didn’t return to football because he was 100 percent
healthy.

“I was good enough to come back,” Ugoh said today, “so I did.”

Now, the newest Giant believes he’s back to full-strength, 15 months after
the Indianapolis Colts waived him with an injury designation because of an
undisclosed foot issue. Ugoh signed with the Detroit Lions in December and was
with the team until August, when he left camp for a few days while reportedly
pondering retirement. He was waived shortly thereafter.

Ugoh, who was signed by the Giants to
replace Stacy Andrews on the roster, says he’s healthy and focused now.

Excerpt: "Giants starting center David Baas appeared on Wednesday injury's report with
what was listed as a neck injury and intense headaches. And in his daily press
conference Tom Coughlin said the issue is "much more serious than a headache,"
though it is unclear what exactly.

"There's a lot more to it than that," Coughlin said. "He spent most of the
last couple days doing tests and a lot of that is to try to eliminate things, as
well."

Coughlin said Baas, who was a last-minute
scratch in Sunday's loss to the Packers, will undergo more tests today and
his status is uncertain. Coughlin is reluctant to provide specific information
on Baas until he gets more definitive information. Asked if the neck issue is
related to the headaches, he indicated that's probably the case but wouldn't
confirm.

Baas' situation is another blow to a Giants offensive line that has lost two
players -- starting left tackle Will Beatty and backup Stacy Andrews -- to
injuries for the remainder of the season over the last few weeks.

On Sunday, however, the makeshift offensive line -- with Kevin Boothe at
center, Mitch Petrus at left guard and David Diehl at left tackle -- performed
admirably. For the first time since Nov. 6 the team rushed for at least 100
yards and the offense reeled off 35 points." Read more...

Excerpt: "In the bye week before the biggest game of his life, Tony Romo took off for a
mini-vacation to Cabo with then-girlfriend Jessica Simpson,
sparking a controversy about his commitment to football.

A few months after the Giants beat Romo and the Cowboys in that 2007 NFC
divisional playoff game and went on to win the Super Bowl, Eli
Manning was in Cabo at a more appropriate time. He got married.

In big moments, Manning’s timing has always been better than Romo’s.

The Giants and Cowboys have stumbled their way through the first 12 games of
the season and are left with little margin for error over the last four weeks in
which they will play each other twice .

The Cowboys (7-5) have a one-game lead in the NFC East over the Giants, who
have lost four games in a row. In one of the biggest regular-season games in
this long Giants-Cowboys rivalry, the Giants clearly have the edge at
quarterback.

Manning has given the Giants reason to trust him in a big game. Romo has yet
to play his best when the games mean the most. He can either be incredibly
creative or when he makes a mistake, it looks like he just drew the play up in
the dirt and let it fly.

Manning is 4-3 in the playoffs and has been the Super Bowl MVP. Romo is 1-3
and has never advanced past the divisional round.

In the first playoff game of his career in 2006, Romo fumbled the snap as the
holder on a 20-yard field goal attempt with just over one minute remaining.
Dallas lost by one point.

Manning has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league this season and
it often seems he’s about all the Giants have going for them. Romo’s two
turnovers in the fourth quarter lost the season opener against the Jets, and his
three second-half interceptions against the Lions — two of them returned for
touchdowns, the other setting up the game-winning touchdown — w ere the reason
the Cowboys blew a 27-3 third quarter lead in the fourth game of the year.

“Everybody last week was talking about Aaron Rodgers being
the Super Bowl MVP and all that stuff,” Giants tackle David Diehl said
Wednesday. “He’s a great quarterback and he’s having an unbelievable year. But
we have the same thing on our side. Eli is having an unbelievable
year.” Read more...

To the Dallas Cowboys’ pass-rusher, Tuck is nothing more than a desperate
wannabe. And every time Tuck trashes the Cowboys, every time he talks about how
much he “hates” Dallas and how he thinks Cowboys Stadium is a dump, Ware feels a
sense of pity for the struggling Giants defensive lineman.

“He says that because maybe he wants to play here,” Ware told reporters in
Irving, Tex., on Wednesday. “Everybody wants to play for the Cowboys. If I
wasn’t playing for the Cowboys I would call it that, too, because I want to play
for them.”

Get out your popcorn and get ready for the annual war of words between the
Dallas Cowboys and the Giants. The two NFC East rivals will clash at Cowboys
Stadium on Sunday night, but the verbal battle between both squads has already
begun.

It started Wednesday, with the Cowboys slamming Brandon Jacobs and
Tuck’s apparent Cowboy envy.

Corner Mike Jenkins got it
going, saying Giants big back Jacobs was nothing more than a big “bully.” And
then there was Ware, the NFL’s sack leader, daring to accuse Giants defensive
team captain Tuck of wishing for his very own Texas star-emblazoned helmet.

The Giants weren’t around to respond to the comments — their locker room had
closed an hour or so earlier — but they likely were expecting this. The rivalry
between both teams has long been fierce, and the two targets of Dallas’ trash
talk — Jacobs and Tuck — are usually vocal about their general disdain for all
things Cowboys.

Jacobs said years ago that he grew up hating the Cowboys, and he once slammed
Dallas QB Tony Romo, saying he
was “not a good passer, to be honest with you.” And has a year ever gone by when
Tuck hasn’t ripped the Cowboys before a visit to Dallas?

Both players have helped fuel the Giants to two straight wins over the
Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium, but Ware hopes to end that run this year. Big Blue
comes for the Cowboys’ “manhood” whenever it comes to Dallas, he said, but the
Giants will leave empty-handed this time.

“I hate anytime we play them,” Ware said. “It’s just not the Giants, because
guess what, the team is trying to come in here and take your manhood. So it
don’t matter who you’re playing.” Read more...

"When Eli Manning put his
signature on the wall of the visiting locker room in Cowboys Stadium two years
ago, it may have offended the tenants, but it was also somehow fitting.

In two career trips to Jerry Jones’ $1.2
billion palace, Manning has played like the building belongs to him.

There’s just something about that stadium — or trips to Dallas in general, or
maybe it’s even just playing the Cowboys — that seems to bring out the best in
the Giants’ quarterback. As he heads into another showdown down there on Sunday
night, he’s 2-0 at Cowboys Stadium and 3-1 in his last four games in Dallas.

And in those two games at Cowboys Stadium, Manning has been brilliant,
completing 68.5% of his passes (50 of 73) for 636 yards, six touchdowns and
three interceptions.

“Playing Dallas is always a big game,” Manning said. “We know they’re
talented. It’s on turf. It’s indoors. You always have good weather there. All
those things make it good conditions for quarterbacks to go out and play
well.”

Manning is 8-6 all time against one of the Giants’ biggest rivals, including
his dramatic first NFL victory in the last game of the 2004 season and the
Giants’ playoff win in Dallas on their way to Super Bowl XLII.

He’s won five of his last seven against the Cowboys. Last year the Giants
split the two games, but even in the loss at home, Manning was 33 of 48 for 373
yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Manning, of course, did his best to downplay his success in Dallas — which
includes three 300-yard games in seven trips and two four-touchdown
performances. He even suggested it won’t be nearly as easy now that the Cowboys
have a new defensive coordinator in Rob Ryan.

Still, his teammates sense an air of confidence in their quarterback as they
get ready for their biggest game of the year.

“I think it’s definitely a place where he feels comfortable and a team he’s
faced a bunch,” said receiver Victor Cruz, who’ll be
playing his first game in Dallas. “He just feels comfortable against them. And
he’s excited just like we are to go down there and do some good things.”

“I don’t think it’s just the situation or scenario of being in Dallas, he’s
confident of what he can do,” said linebacker Chase
Blackburn. “And we’re all confident enough to rally around him.”

“I have the most confidence in Eli. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is,”
said guard Chris Snee. “But
I’d like a big game out of him this weekend for sure.”

Excerpt: "Center David Baas said the “migraine-type” headaches he’s been suffering for
the last few days stem from a neck injury he’s been dealing with all season. And
he made it sound like there’s at least a possibility his condition could land
him on injured reserve.

“I really want to play football, but my health
is very important to me,” Baas said in brief remarks to the media in the locker
room on Wednesday afternoon. “They’re going to make the best
decision.”

Baas was vague about his condition and said that doctors are
still testing him and evaluating the results. He’s been suffering headaches
since Sunday, when he was a late scratch a few hours before the Giants’ 38-35
loss to the Packers. Concern about his situation was ratcheted up earlier
Wednesday when Tom Coughlin said it was “much
more serious than a headache, obviously.”

“I’m doing pretty good,”
Baas said. “All I really have to say is I’ve had neck issues. I’ve been dealing
with it pretty much all season. These issues have stemmed into migraine
symptoms. Now we’re getting a lot of tests done and evaluations. I’m going to
let the medical staff handle all that and make the right decision.

“The neck issue definitely has been new. I’ve been pushing
through it all season and trying to deal with it. We’ve been doing certain
things to deal with it. The migraine-type headaches are new. It’s just something
that’s kind of unexpected. I’ve just go to deal with it and we have to do what’s
right for this team. The medical staff will make that decision.”

Asked
if there was a chance his season could be over, Baas said “I ‘m not thinking
about that at all. All I’m thinking about is this week and I’m going to do
whatever they want me to do in terms of getting stuff tested out and looked at
and be here for meetings and do whatever I can for getting treatment and go from
there.”

Excerpt: "One week ago, Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell showed a different
side to himself for public consumption, lambasting his players for their effort
and performance in a 49-24 loss in New Orleans.

Fewell accused players of pulling up short on plays, which is another way of
saying they quit on the field.

One week later, Fewell looked back on his harsh words and has no regrets.

“When you say, ‘Regret anything I said,’ I just spoke from the heart,’’
Fewell said Thursday afternoon. “I didn’t try to demean our players or I didn’t
try to demean anything about what we do or how we do it. I just tried to tell
the truth, but I probably shouldn’t have said some things I said, but I just
spoke from the heart.’’

Fewell’s words did not go unheeded; his defense played with far more passion
in last week’s 38-35 loss to the Packers. The defense allowed 31 points (the
other touchdown came off an interception return) to Aaron Rodgers'
offense." Read more...

Ware, the NFL’s sack leader with 15, started this Wednesday when someone
dredged up a two-year old quote Tuck supposedly made calling brand-new Cowboys
Stadium “crappy.’’ No one has been able to find that quote but Ware took it to
mean Tuck is jealous.

“He says that because maybe he wants to play here,’’ Ware said. “Everybody
wants to play for the Cowboys.’’

Does Tuck want to be a Cowboy?

“I don’t wear Wranglers, I don’t wear Cowboy hats, or boots or those belts --
what do you call those? -- one of those buckle belts,’’ Tuck said. “I don’t wear
none of that. I don’t need a star on my helmet for anyone to tell me I’m, pretty
good at what I do.’’

Tuck denies ever saying anything negative about Cowboys Stadium.

“I tell you what, you’all find it I’ll live up to it,’’ he said.

As far as the rivalry with the Cowboys, Tuck repeated a line he’s used, of,
probably every season:

“They hate us, we hate them, that’s always going to be the case,’’ Tuck said.
“We just don’t like ‘em.’’

The noise didn’t stop with Ware. Cowboys cornerback Mike Jenkins called
running back Brandon Jacobs “a big bully’’ for the way Jacobs frequently
expresses his dislike for the Cowboys.

“They're gonna say what they're gonna say no matter what,’’ Jacobs said. “I
am a bully. They can call me what they want. I think people who call out bullies
are afraid of bullies." Read more...

"There is no better way to characterize what will take place Sunday night for
the Giants than to listen to right guard Chris Snee, who has been a part of this
longer than nearly all of his teammates.

“Our playoffs start now,’’ Snee said yesterday. “I think that’s the way you
have to look at it.’’

There is no other way to look at it. The Giants (6-6) have the rare
opportunity, after losing four consecutive games, to face the rival Cowboys
(7-5) at Cowboys Stadium for first place in the NFC East.

And dropped smack in the middle of this clash of semi-titans is none other
than Mitch Petrus, a big, burly “aw-shucks’’ country boy with energy to burn and
a question on his mind as, for the first time in his two-year stay with the
Giants, he was surrounded by a whole bunch of cameras and microphones and
notebooks while slurping down an energy drink from a can.

“Do I have chocolate on my mouth?’’ he wanted to know.

It has come to this for the Giants and their shape-shifting offensive line,
which in the past few weeks has lost starting left tackle Will Beatty to a
detached retina, tackle-eligible Stacy Andrews to blood clots in both his lungs
and most recently starting center David Baas to what the team is calling
“intense headaches.’’ Baas was stricken only hours before last Sunday’s 38-35
loss to the unbeaten Packers with what he says are “migraine-type headaches’’
that kept him out of that game and most likely will keep him out of this
week’s.

The sudden loss of Baas forced an adjustment on the fly: moving Kevin Boothe
from left guard to center and Petrus — who has barely played in his two years on
the roster — into his first NFL start, at left guard. The reconfigured line held
up just fine, but up next is a more forceful challenge.

The Cowboys have a killer defensive front, led by NFL sack-leader DeMarcus
Ware (15 sacks), Anthony Spencer (six sacks) and nose tackle Jay Ratliff. With
35 sacks, the Cowboys — directed by pressure-happy defensive coordinator Rob
Ryan — trail only the Ravens (41) and are tied with the Texans and Vikings for
NFL sack mastery.

“They’re good,’’ Snee said. “They have been for years and at times they’ve
given us problems. It’s tough when you have five guys who can rush the passer as
well as they can.’’

The Packers last week had no idea Petrus would be on the field, but the
Cowboys are certainly clued in. That means the Cowboys can target the 2010
fifth-round pick from Arkansas.

“I definitely think that could be a possibility, if somebody said ‘They’re
going to test him more,’ because Green Bay really didn’t know,’’ Petrus said.
“We’re really going to see what this guy has because if this guy can’t play
we’re going to keep bringing it. I’m up for the challenge, though. The
pressure’s on, right?’’

Right. Except pressure and Petrus don’t go together, not outwardly, anyway.
He fidgets when he sits and isn’t any calmer when he plays. Right after Petrus
learned he was about to get his first start, he approached Snee and the other
linemen to express his excitement.
“The guys wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to be spastic,’’ Petrus
said.

“I like that intensity,’’ Snee said. “I just wanted to make sure he was calm.
Not to be bouncing off the walls before the game, which he was close to
doing.’’

Excerpt: "When Kenny Phillips hobbled
off the field during the second quarter against the Packers, he did not have
positive vibes. His left knee — the one on which he had microfracture knee
surgery in 2009 — was hurting again.

“When it first happened you think the worst, ‘It’s over,’” Phillips said
yesterday, “but after the MRI [exam] showed what it showed I’m glad it’s nothing
serious.’’

Phillips, who has a sprained medial collateral ligament, hasn’t given up hope
of playing Sunday night at Dallas, but that’s probably overly optimistic.
Instead of practicing, he rode a stationary bike and did some knee strengthening
exercises on the side.

“It wasn’t painful or sore or anything,’’ Phillips said. “Thus far I have a
positive attitude. I haven’t been told I’m not going to play.’’

* The Giants are trying to get to the bottom of what C David Baas said are “migraine-type headaches’’ that kept him out of the Packers
game and continue to bother him. Baas said the headaches are in some way caused
by the neck injury he has been dealing with all season. It doesn’t sound like he
is coming back any time soon.

“I really want to play football, but my health is very important to me,” Baas
said.

Coach Tom Coughlin said the situation is “Much more serious
than a headache, obviously.’’

* TE Jake Ballard got a good look at the still pictures that
appeared to show his right knee touched inside the end zone on what should have
been a touchdown reception against the Packers, but was ruled out of bounds.
Coughlin said earlier this week that the picture “made me sick to my
stomach.’’

Ballard said he wasn’t deliberately trying to drag his knee in the end
zone.

“Any receiver or tight end, the first thing is catch the ball,’’ Ballard
said. “Especially where you’re going out of bounds, dragging your feet and knee
kind of go out the window when you’re trying to make a catch like
that.’’ Read more...

Chase Blackburn spent most of the spring unemployed in Ohio, working out in a
gym and doing defensive and special teams drills by himself at a local park. He
kept studying his Giants playbook, waiting for a call from Big Blue, or anybody
else. Once the Giants finally brought Blackburn back last week, after seeing his
performance against Green Bay, one has to wonder what took them so long.

Blackburn had five tackles and an interception in Sunday’s 38-35 loss to the
Packers, and — going into this weekend’s huge game at NFC East-leading Dallas —
he has a chance to show the Giants they should’ve brought him back sooner.

“I’m going to try and prove that it was a mistake for me not playing earlier
this year,’’ said Blackburn, who hadn’t put on pads or a helmet in 13 weeks, but
got 50 or 60 snaps against the Packers.

“I was sitting on the couch before I got picked up my rookie year; I waited a
long time. I was just trying to get the opportunity and take advantage; that’s
what I’ve tried to do again, the same situation. I didn’t have a spot on any
team; no one was wanting to take a chance on me. Now I’m just trying to prove it
was a mistake.’’ Read more...

Because Manning has had to integrate a new wide receiver and tight end, his
offensive linemen still are being introduced to one another (Mr. Boothe, meet
Mr. Petrus) and he endured nearly a month without Ahmad Bradshaw, I rank him
ahead of No. 5, Ben Roethlisberger.

Just as the Packers wanted Rodgers with the ball at the end of the game last
week, the Giants want Manning with the ball at the end of the game Sunday night
at Cowboys Stadium.

They fully expect him to be a Mann among Boys in what very well could be a
shootout with Romo at the Jerry Jones Corral, given Big Blue’s struggles in recent weeks against the Eagles’ Vince
Young, Brees and Rodgers.

“It’ll be great, man, if it comes down to it and we’re gonna come blow for
blow and going back and forth as far as points and scoring,” receiver Victor Cruz said, “and going back and
forth and so be it, I think we’re up to that challenge.”

It isn’t as if Cruz has no faith in the Giants’ defense. It’s simply that
it’s every game-breaker’s dream, to light up the scoreboard and fight fire with
fire if need be.

I asked Cruz: “Why do you like your quarterback in that scenario?”

“’Cause he’s been in a lot of those situations before, he understands what’s
expected, he understands how to play in those tough moments and he’s comfortable
with having all the pressure on his shoulders and doing what he has to do to
win,” Cruz said.

“So you’ve got the edge at that position in ths game?”

“I feel like I do. ... I feel like we do, definitely,” Cruz said.

Manning reminded the Giants why they call him Easy E when he stared down Tom Brady again in Foxborough, and
wished he could have gotten one more chance in overtime against Rodgers and the
Packers.

I said to tight end Jake Ballard: “If there’s a shootout, you won’t mind
having him on your side.”

“Absolutely not,” Ballard said, “I think that’s one of the strengths of our
offense in two-minute, is No. 10.”
“We just need to keep giving him time, and he’s gonna do what he does, and
that’s win games,” Ballard said.

His teammates respect Manning for talking the talk in the summer about
considering himself in Brady’s class and walking the walk the way he has (23
touchdowns, 11 interceptions).
“Everybody last week was talking about Aaron Rodgers and being the Super Bowl MVP and all that stuff, and he’s a great
quarterback and he’s having an unbelievable year, but we have the same thing on
our side and behind us,” lineman David
Diehl said. “I laugh because at the beginnng of the season when he compared
himself in the same caliber. He got a lot of heat for that, and everybody said,
‘Oh. How can he do that?’ I thought it was awesome because it showed the
confidence that he has in himself and the work ethic that he has and his
determination to be the best quarterback out on the field.”

If not the coolest, calmest and most collected.

“He’s playing at his best because he’s just got such a great understanding of
our offense,” Diehl said.

Romo has been heroic at times, exhibiting true grit when he outlasted the
49ers with a punctured lung and fractured rib, and magic and moxie at the end
against the Dolphins. He is less frequently the little girl with the curl.
Moments such as throwing Opening Night away to Darrelle Revis, and failing to
call timeout in the last 30 seconds before Dallas coach Jason Garrett’s
ill-fated clock management led to Dan Bailey’s missed 49-yard field goal in
Sunday’s overtime loss at Arizona keep him from elite status.

Romo will be helped by the expected return of Miles Austin, and a game plan
that doesn’t abandon rookie DeMarco
Murray (12 carries against the Cardinals), particularly with fullback Tony
Fiametta also due back.

“The mindset is looking ahead,” Manning said. “It doesn’t matter what you’ve
done last week or what your record is. It’s what you’re playing for, who you
have this week. And you have Dallas, Sunday night football, that’s a big
one.”

Manning beat the Cowboys in the 2007 divisional playoffs — when Romo was
intercepted in the end zone by R.W. McQuarters — and has thrown for over 300
yards in each of his two victories at Cowboys Stadium.

“Giants fans right away let you know at the beginning of the season, ‘Hey,
make sure you take care of the Cowboys,’ ” Diehl sad.

Manning was asked about Antrel Rolle’s latest playoff guarantee.

“I like the confidence, and obviously that’s the way he feels,” Manning said.
“That’s the way we need to play.”

It’s the way the Giants need him to play, starting Sunday night, and the rest
of the way.

"The Jets and Giants hoped their Christmas Eve matchup would be about playoff
positioning. Instead they are hoping it’s about playoff survival.

The teams have put themselves in position where any loss would seriously
damage their postseason hopes. None more so than this week when the Jets play
the lowly Chiefs in what seemingly is the easiest game remaining on their
schedule, and the Giants go against the Cowboys in a game that will go a long
way in deciding who will win the NFC East.

2. Saints (9-3) (2) – Jimmy Graham has emerged as one of the
best tight ends in the league.

3. 49ers (10-2) (3) – Alex Smith has proven that if you sell
out against the run, he’s a halfway-decent quarterback. I think that’s a
compliment.

4. Patriots (9-3) (4) – Most of it came in garbage time, but
you should never be happy when your defense allows Dan Orlovsky to throw for 353
yards.

5. Ravens (9-3) (5) – It’s a good thing rookie Torrey Smith
stepped up because Lee Evans (three catches in five games) has been a complete
non-factor in Baltimore.

6. Steelers (9-3) (6) – Pittsburgh must have a deal with the
NFL that they will play on Thursday night, but only if it’s against a terrible
team. They play the 4-8 Browns on Thursday and here’s who they have played the
past five years: 2010 – Panthers (2-14), 2009 – Browns (5-11), 2008 – Bengals
(4-11-1), 2007 – Rams (3-13) and 2006 – Browns (4-12). Their only loss came to
Cleveland in 2009.

8. Cowboys (7-5) (8) – Laurent Robinson (seven touchdowns)
has been a savior for Tony Romo with Miles Austin reinjuring his hamstring. But
Austin is expected back for the showdown with the Giants on Sunday night.

9. Broncos (7-5) (18) – Further proof that God is on Tim
Tebow’s side: Christian Ponder throwing an interception that set up Denver’s
winning score against Minnesota.

10. Jets (7-5) (14) – Winning late in games, late in the
year has become a staple for Rex Ryan’s teams.

11. Titans (7-5) (17) – After costing them earlier in the
season, Chris Johnson’s emergence is keeping Tennessee in the playoff race.

12. Lions (7-5) (9) – With trips to Oakland and Green Bay
left on the schedule, Detroit faces a must-win against the Vikings without
Ndamukong Suh.

13. Falcons (7-5) (10) – If they miss the playoffs they will
look back at the loss in Houston to a third-string quarterback with disgust.

14. Giants (6-6) (15) – The “New York Moral Victories”
seemed pretty pleased after losing a tight one to the unbeaten Packers.

15. Bengals (7-5) (11) – Have struggled against top-level
competition with their best win coming at Tennessee.

Excerpt: "Like two fighters staggering in the late rounds, the Giants and Cowboys come
out of their respective football corners reeling from recent events. The Giants
have lost four straight. The Cowboys dropped an overtime heartbreaker to
Arizona. The Giants’ injury list continues to deepen. The Cowboys still are
taking questions on last weekend’s clock mismanagement.

If there’s always an undercurrent of hatred between two longstanding NFC East
rivals, the NFL’s scheduling machinations have managed to ratchet up this year’s
required animosity. Two of the season’s final four games are between these
teams, including the finale New Year’s Day in New Jersey. The Cowboys are
clinging to a one-game lead in the division, and the Giants are their only real
threat. No one else is getting into the ring – Philadelphia and Washington were
counted out long ago — which is why Sunday’s game is so loaded with playoff
implications.

And as highly anticipated as any contest on the weekend card.

“Our playoffs start now,” is how guard Chris Snee put it. “That’s how you
have to look at it. We know what’s at stake. Everyone is aware of what’s going
on and the circumstance we put ourselves in by not being able to win some of
these games.

“But heads are up. We’re not down by any means. We know that we’re still in
it. If we take care of our own business, hopefully we’ll be playing in
January.”

The Giants (6-6) need the game more than the Cowboys (7-5), but that hasn’t
softened the attitude in Dallas. In separate conversations with area reporters,
both even-tempered coach Jason Garrett and his mini-me, quarterback Tony Romo,
did their best to downplay both the rivalry with the Giants and the critical
nature of the outcome.

Yet other talk out of Dallas wasn’t quite as
friendly, with ESPNDallas reporting that Cowboy cornerback Mike Jenkins referred
to running back Brandon Jacobs as a bully and Dallas defensive end DeMarcus Ware
suggested Justin Tuck’s real reason for calling Cowboys Stadium a dump is that
he really wants to play for Dallas.

That sort of manufactured drama isn’t necessary this week, not when you have
two combatants weighted with the desperation. Both need to escape their own
histories of melting down when the stakes are highest. The Giants know they are
dangerously close to repeating the second-half mistakes of the last two seasons,
when losing streaks obliterated promising first halves and knocked them out of a
potential playoff berth. The Cowboys know they are viewed as a team more prone
to damaging themselves than being hurt by opponents. Last week’s clock-debacle,
icing-timeout fiasco is just another in a long list of examples.

Come Sunday night, one of those trends will end. Welcome
desperation." Read more...

Kenny Phillips confirmed Wednesday that he has a sprained MCL, but said he
has not been ruled out for this weekend in Dallas.

"I mean I haven’t been told I’m going to miss a game or miss anything, so
right now I got a positive attitude that I’ll be playing," the safety said.

There was speculation earlier in the week that Phillips could miss several
games. Phillips remains unsure when he will return to practice, but did some
running and stretching on the side Wednesday. He had microfracture surgery on
that same knee in 2009 to repair an arthritic condition.

‘Chase is Chase’

LB Chase Blackburn hopes to make the Giants believe it was a mistake not
bringing him back sooner.

The former special teams captain enjoyed an impactful return Sunday with five
tackles on defense, another two on special teams and an interception of Aaron
Rodgers.

"That’s what I’m trying to prove," Blackburn said.

Count Tom Coughlin among those impressed.

"Well Chase is Chase," Coughlin said. "He said he had his bags packed for
quite a while before he actually got the phone call. But he comes in, it’s like
he never left." Read more...

Excerpt: "Mitch Petrus talks faster than Tom Coughlin attempts to shoot down injury
inquiries and Eli Manning tries to run from controversy.

When reporters crowded his locker Wednesday, the newest starting left guard
for the Giants could not hide his excitement: not just to speak about stepping
up after being thrust into action against Green Bay three days earlier, but his
opportunity forthwith.

Petrus had just finished his daily workout in the weight room, and as part of
his usual routine, he chugged two cans of protein replenishing drink while
answering questions.

In the midst of his overly-enthusiastic interview, Petrus made a point to
assure the media these were not energy shakes he was downing.

The Giants certainly need Petrus, and not only against the Packers, but going
forward as the offensive line fights to hold its ground and maintain success
despite a whirlwind of change in the way of sudden injuries, all of which have
the potential to be season-ending.

Left tackle Will Beatty was the first casualty, with surgery to repair a
detached retina.

Then there was the stunning news involving blocking tight end and reserve
tackle Stacy Andrews, who was hospitalized the night before Sunday’s 38-35 loss
to Green Bay because of blood clots that traveled to his lungs.

Beatty and Andrews have been placed on injured reserve.

Yet their absences were just the precursor to the medical mystery that has
enveloped starting center David Baas, who was ruled out against Green Bay at the
eleventh hour because of severe headaches, prompting the Giants to turn to
second-year pro Petrus in his place." Read more...

One of the more overlooked statistics in football is penalty rate. Penalty
yards per play is one of the more consistent attributes of N.F.L. teams, second
only to offensive pass efficiency. Penalty rate’s effect on game outcomes isn’t
as large as that of other team attributes, but in terms of predicting winners
its consistency makes it as important as
things like running efficiency and interception rates.

In Sunday
night’s battle for supremacy in the N.F.C. East, the Cowboys and the Giants
are virtual equals. Dallas has a better running game, while the Giants have a
better passing game. Dallas has the stronger defense in both running and
passing, which would otherwise give them the upper hand. But the Giants have the
better penalty rate, equalizing the two teams. Dallas gives up 0.44 penalty
yards per play, which is 22nd in the league, while the Giants allow 0.38 penalty
yards per play, which is 10th in the league.

Here is how the two teams stack up in all the core predictive statistics.

Team

netYPA

Run SR%

Int%

Fum%

D netYPA

D Run SR%

D Int%

P

“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.” MB Rule # 1

Well apart from 2 days next week...that me on my holidays now for nearly a month...no work till monday 9th January ...by that point we will have hopefully secured our place in the Divisionals after a wildcard win.

So im gonna sit back and enjoy my time off, eat loads, drink loads, spend loads of time with my family and a whole bunch of time watching football.

First up, a whole bunch of beer and a Cowboys beatdown is on the cards.